Rare deal: West Coast to the South Pacific for just $566 round-trip
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
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It's not often that we see good deals to the South Pacific, but today we're seeing two in one day! We spotted cheap flights from the West Coast (LAX and SFO) to Raratonga (RAR) in the Cook Islands, as well as Tahiti (PPT) starting at just $566 round-trip. Even better, these deals are nonstop on Air New Zealand and French Bee.
Air New Zealand, the former five-year "Best Airline" champion, offers a Skycouch which it markets as the world's first economy product that can be turned into a couch (although you'll have to purchase that separately from these tickets). And while TPG's JT Genter wasn't totally in love with his French Bee experience, he did note the friendly service and cheap prices.
Since you're saving on flights, consider shelling out (or using points) and staying at an overwater bungalow on a nearby island, like at the Intercontinental Bora Bora Thalasso.
To search, head to Skyscanner and enter your origin and destination cities. Scroll through the calendar function to find dates and prices that work for you. Finally, click through to book directly through the OTA.
Airline: Air New Zealand, French Bee
Routes: LAX/SFO-RAR/PPT
Cost: $566+ round-trip in economy
Dates: April and May 2020 for RAR, December – February for PPT
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline), Citi Prestige®Card (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card (3x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare booked directly with the airline or amextravel.com) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
San Francisco (SFO) to Tahiti (PPT) round-trip nonstop on French Bee:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Raratonga (RAR) for $608 round-trip nonstop on Air New Zealand:
Maximize Your Purchase
Don't forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card, Citi Premier® Card (3x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
For more TPG news and flight deals delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter here: https://thepointsguy.com/mailing-list//
Featured image courtesy of the Tahiti Ia Ora Beach Resort managed by Sofitel